Seven high achievers on our radar, from Bay Area heavyweights to the next generation shaking things up

Christian Reif

On Mother’s Day, the San Francisco Symphony’s acclaimed resident conductor will lead its Youth Orchestra in concert. Reif joined the Symphony for its 2016-2017 season, bringing impressive experience: He graduated from Juilliard in 2014, studying under Alan Gilbert, and went on to conduct performances at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. He won the German Operetta Prize in 2015, and made his SF debut that year leading the West Coast premiere of Ted Hearne’s “Dispatches.”

Stefanie Roumeliotes

Since founding SGR Consulting in 2004, the SF-based CEO, strategist and fundraiser has emerged as one of the most dynamic players on the local political scene. The longtime Hillary Clinton fundraiser's talents were on full display last month in a major event for Gavin Newsom, and as she convened a trio of powerful mayors (SF’s Ed Lee, New York’s Bill de Blasio, Sacramento’s Darrell Steinberg) to raise money for De Blasio’s reelection campaign. She also works with charities and sits on the board of the nonprofit Children of Shelters.

John Duggan Sr.

Congratulations to the dapper Original Joe’s owner for his recent induction into the Catholic Youth Athletics Hall of Fame! “John has been a valuable member of the CYO Athletics community for over 50 years,” the organization says of Duggan, a coach at St. Stephen Catholic School and St. Paul’s School before that. Duggan runs the North Beach hotspot and its equally-thriving Westlake counterpart with wife Marie, son John Jr. and daughter Elena. Duggan is known for his sharp Kiton suits, unfailing generosity and professorial grasp of the Bay Area sports scene.

Stephanie Breitbard and Evie Simon

Meet two queens of the SF art scene. Colleagues at Simon Breitbard Fine Arts, the gallery and art consulting firm founded in 2007, Breitbard and Simon advise clients on acquiring art from both well-known and up-and-coming artists around the world. Harvardeducated Breitbard helped to organize April’s Private Collections home tours of esteemed art collections in SF; Simon is involved on the board and committees for the Headlands Center for the Arts and the de Young’s Friends of New Art.

Neil Chase

The executive editor of the East Bay Times oversaw the newspaper’s vigorous coverage of the Ghost Ship tragedy, for which it won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting. “Winning the most prestigious honor in journalism is humbling,” Chase stated. “It’s testimony to the incredible efforts of our talented journalists and their dedication to serving this community and discovering the truth about what happened.” The Times will donate its $15,000 in winnings to families of the 36 people who died at the Oakland warehouse party in December.

Andreas Deja

You must make a trip to The Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio, which is honoring the character animator with his very own exhibit, “Deja View,” running through October 4. Deja supervised a number of menacing Disney villains during the 1990s Golden Age at Walt Disney Animation Studios. There’s Gaston (“Beauty and the Beast”), Jafar (“Aladdin”) and Scar (“The Lion King”), and Deja also created the titular hero in “Hercules,” Ariel’s dad in “The Little Mermaid” and Queen Narissa in “Enchanted.” He is working on the short film “Mushka," about a girl and her tiger.